Topical Bible: The Feast of Pentecost: A Holy Convocation

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Introduction

The Feast of Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, is a significant biblical festival with deep roots in the Old Testament and profound implications in the New Testament. It is celebrated on the fiftieth day after the Passover Sabbath, marking the culmination of the seven-week counting period known as the Counting of the Omer. This feast is both an agricultural festival and a commemoration of the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai.

Old Testament Background

The origins of Pentecost are found in the Torah, where it is described as one of the three major pilgrimage festivals. In Leviticus 23:15-21 , the Israelites are commanded: "From the day after the Sabbath, the day you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you are to count seven full weeks. You shall count fifty days until the day after the seventh Sabbath, and then present an offering of new grain to the LORD." This period of counting leads to the fiftieth day, which is the Feast of Weeks.

Deuteronomy 16:9-12 further instructs the Israelites to celebrate this feast with joy and thanksgiving, acknowledging God's provision and remembering their deliverance from Egypt. The feast is marked by the offering of firstfruits, symbolizing gratitude for the harvest and God's continued blessings.

New Testament Fulfillment

In the New Testament, Pentecost takes on additional significance with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:1-4 records this pivotal event: "When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw tongues like flames of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them."

This event marks the birth of the Christian Church and the fulfillment of Jesus' promise to send the Holy Spirit as a Comforter and Guide (John 14:16-17). The outpouring of the Spirit empowers the apostles to preach the Gospel with boldness, resulting in the conversion of about three thousand souls that day (Acts 2:41).

Theological Significance

Pentecost holds profound theological significance as it represents the transition from the Old Covenant to the New Covenant. The giving of the Law at Sinai is paralleled by the giving of the Spirit, signifying the internalization of God's law in the hearts of believers (Jeremiah 31:33). The feast underscores the unity and universality of the Church, as people from diverse nations and languages are brought together by the Spirit's power.

Liturgical Observance

In Christian liturgical traditions, Pentecost is celebrated as a major feast, often referred to as Whitsunday in some denominations. It is a time of joy and reflection on the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church and individual believers. The color red is commonly used in church decorations to symbolize the fire of the Spirit.

Conclusion

The Feast of Pentecost, with its rich historical and theological layers, continues to be a vital observance in both Jewish and Christian traditions. It serves as a reminder of God's faithfulness, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the ongoing mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel to all nations.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Leviticus 23:21
And you shall proclaim on the selfsame day, that it may be an holy convocation to you: you shall do no servile work therein: it shall be a statute for ever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Numbers 28:26
Also in the day of the first fruits, when you bring a new meat offering to the LORD, after your weeks be out, you shall have an holy convocation; you shall do no servile work:
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Library

The Book of Jubilees
... The Passover and the feast of Tabernacles lasted each ... weeks after the Passover came
Pentecost; the great ... a sacred month; the days of holy convocation were seven ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the book of jubilees.htm

Festal Letters.
... day of the same month (April 6), from which again we count all the seven weeks one
by one, let us keep feast on the holy day of Pentecost"on that ...
/.../athanasius/select works and letters or athanasius/i festal letters.htm

Questions About the Nature and Perpetuity of the Seventh-Day ...
... and we have not an annual but a perpetual feast. ... day of the week again; and this
Pentecost upon which ... that that first day should be a holy convocation unto them ...
/.../bunyan/the works of john bunyan volumes 1-3/questions about the nature and.htm

Let Your Hearts be Much Set on Revivals of Religion. ...
... repeat that which on the day of Pentecost formed the ... Such an outpouring of the Holy
Spirit forms at once a ... then common, and proved the great days of the feast. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/bounds/purpose in prayer/chapter xii let your hearts.htm

The Blood of Sprinkling
... to give his people a sort of Pentecost, and more ... but in joyous liberty, to keep the
feast with their ... the Judge of all, surrounded by those holy spirits who ...
/.../spurgeon/spurgeons sermons volume 32 1886/the blood of sprinkling.htm

The Testimony of the Lectionaries Shewn to be Absolutely Decisive ...
... stood and prayed,--then followed Holy Communion.--Apol ... 2) Ascension-Day is mentioned;
(3) Pentecost;--(4) Nativity ... Justinian, on Candlemas Day, (our Feast of the ...
/.../chapter x the testimony of.htm

Centenary Commemoration
... Apostles at Jerusalem, after the miracle of Pentecost, was the ... the clergy in Woodbury
on the Feast of the ... After his admission to Holy Orders, according to his ...
/.../centenary commemoration 2.htm

Footnotes
The Last Twelve Verses of the Gospel According to S. Mark. <. ...
/.../burgon/the last twelve verses of the gospel according to s mark /footnotes.htm